BACKGROUND: Premature ejaculation (PE) is present in up to 30% of men with erectile dysfunction (ED). OBJECTIVES: To assess the clinical features of men complaining of both ED and PE (ED-PE) as compared to men reporting only ED or PE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A consecutive series of 4024 men (mean age 51.2 ± 13.2 years) consulting for sexual dysfunction was studied. The population was categorized into ED-only (n = 2767; 68.8%), PE-only (n = 475; 1...

Introduction: Millions of patients take prescription medications each year for common urological conditions. Generic and brand-name drugs have widely divergent pricing despite similar therapeutic benefit and side effect profiles. We examined prescribing patterns across provider types for generic and brand-name drugs used to treat 3 common urological conditions, and estimated economic implications for Medicare Part D spending. Methods: We extracted 2014 prescription claims and payments from Medicare Part D and categorized oral medications used to treat 3 urological conditions, namely benign prostatic hyperplasia, erectile dysfunction and overactive bladder...

BACKGROUND: With the increasing adoption of novel technologies and anatomical techniques, surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) provides significant benefits in terms of obstruction relief, early urethral catheter removal, and faster return to daily activities. However, the main pitfall of BPH surgery in sexually active men remains ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD), which permanently affects quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To detail a novel technique for marking the intraprostatic urethra through a retrograde injection of indocyanine green to enhance selective dissection of prostatic lobes during urethra-sparing robot-assisted simple prostatectomy (US-RASP) with the use of near-infrared fluorescence imaging (NIFI)...

Finasteride and dutasteride are 5α-reductase inhibitor drugs that are used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted in men with BPH show that these drugs impair libido and cause erectile dysfunction. Meta-analyses of the RCTs confirm the findings, estimating odds ratio (OR) values for these adverse effects at around 1.50. A problem with meta-analyses that do not report absolute risks with drug vs placebo and that extract ORs instead of relative risks (RRs) from RCT data is that it is hard for the reader to know how to interpret the findings and communicate them to patients...

Hit, Lead & Candidate Discovery Tadalafil, Cialis, Eli Lilly & Co./ICOS, (6R,12aR)-6-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-methyl-2,3,6,7,12,12a-hexahydropyrazino[1',2':1,6] pyrido[3,4-b]indole-1,4-dione, was first discovered in 2003. It was reported to have high diastereospecificity for phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitions. The cis-(6R, 12aR) enantiomer is the most active enantiomer. Tadalafil showed PDE5 inhibition with IC50 = 5 nM. It possesses high selectivity for PDE5 versus PDE1-4 and PDE6. Tadalafil is more selective to PDE5 against PDE6 whereas sildenafil, another commercially available PDE5 inhibitor shows similar potencies to inhibit PDE5 and PDE6...

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to compare serum level of folic acid (FA) in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) versus healthy controls and to assess its correlation with other well-known confounders for ED. METHODS: Our prospective study compared FA in 60 patients with ED versus 30 healthy controls. Patients were excluded if they had any hormonal disorders, Peyronie's disease, or decompensated systemic illnesses. ED was evaluated by the validated Arabic version of the abbreviated five-item form of the International Index Of Erectile Function and confirmed by penile duplex...

Vardenafil is a potent phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Several cases of stroke related to the use of PDE-5 inhibitors have been reported. Here, we describe the case of a 51-year-old man with headache and right ophthalmoplegia subsequent to vardenafil consumption. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a suprasellar mass with hemorrhage suggesting pituitary apoplexy. He underwent transsphenoidal resection of the pituitary mass. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of a necrotic pituitary adenoma with hemorrhage...

BACKGROUND: There are multiple treatment options for men with localized prostate cancer that provide similar curative efficacy but differ in their impact on sexual functioning. AIM: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sexual Function and Satisfaction (SexFS) measures, including items from versions 1 and 2 of the short forms. METHODS: A population-based cohort of men across North Carolina completed surveys via phone interviews at baseline (prior to treatment) and at 3, 12, and 24 months after cancer treatment initiation...

Objectives: To present our experience, in Iraq, with sacral neuromodulation (SNM) in patients with refractory lower urinary tract dysfunction, with discussion of the factors that affect the response rate. Patients and methods: In this prospective, clinical, interventional study, 24 patients were evaluated and treated by a team comprised of a Urologist and a Neurosurgeon with SNM over a 1.5-year period. The gender, age, pathology, and clinical presentation, were all studied and evaluated...

Background: Surgery is the standard treatment for organ-restricted penile cancer, but it is also a disfiguring procedure that can profoundly affect quality of life. Using a survey, in this study we assessed the effect of different surgical invasiveness on satisfaction in selected life domains of patients who underwent penile-sparing surgery and partial penectomy. Methods: Forty patients who underwent penile-sparing surgery (n=13) or partial penectomy (n=27) were enrolled in the study. The response rate was 71%...

PURPOSE: Radiation therapy (RT) offers an important and curative approach to treating prostate cancer but is associated with a high incidence of erectile dysfunction (ED). It is not clear if the etiology of radiation-induced ED (RI-ED) is driven by RT-mediated injury to the vasculature, the nerves, or both. This pilot study sought to distinguish the impacts of vascular and nerve injury in RI-ED by applying a vascular radioprotectant in a rat model of prostate RT. METHODS: A single dose of the thrombopoietin mimetic, TPOm (RWJ-800088), previously shown to mitigate radiation-induced vascular injury, was administered ten minutes after a single fraction conformal prostate RT...

INTRODUCTION: A shorter penis is a frequent complaint following penile prosthesis implantation (PPI), and a large redundant suprapubic fat pad can conceal the penis and possibly compromise patient and partner satisfaction with length. AIM: To evaluate feasibility and outcome of same-session, same-incision, PPI and suprapubic lipectomy (SPL). METHODS: In 22 patients, SPL was performed through an abdominal crease incision. Through the same incision, the superficial perineal pouch was opened to gain access to the base of the penis...

BACKGROUND: Variability in prices of medications is a well-known phenomenon; however, this variability has not been quantified in the realm of erectile dysfunction (ED) medications. ED medications are ideal for this quantification, because they are often not covered by insurances; therefore, the cost is the most direct reflection of price variability among pharmacies as they affect the patients. AIM: To evaluate the variability in cash prices for phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDEIs) for ED...

BACKGROUND: Previous work showed that muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) exposed long-term to the milieu of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (UC-T2D) in male obese Zucker (OZ) rats, were unable to correct the associated erectile dysfunction and the underlying histopathology when implanted into the corpora cavernosa, and were also imprinted with a noxious gene global transcriptional signature (gene-GTS), suggesting that this may interfere with their use as autografts in stem cell therapy. AIM: To ascertain the respective contributions of dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia to this MDSC damage, clarify its mechanism, and design a bioassay to identify the damaged stem cells...

INTRODUCTION: The present descriptive analysis carried out by a pan-Canadian panel of expert healthcare practitioners (HCPs) summarizes best practices for erectile rehabilitation following prostate cancer (PCa) treatment. This algorithm was designed to support an online sexual health and rehabilitation e-clinic (SHARe-Clinic), which provides biomedical guidance and supportive care to Canadian men recovering from PCa treatment. The implications of the algorithm may be used inform clinical practice in community settings...

In the article by Chaitoff et al (Men's health 2018: BPH, prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, supplements. Cleve Clin J Med 2018; 85(11):871-880, doi:10.3949/ccjm.85a.18011), the prostate-specific antigen level of a 60-year-old man was given as 5.1 mg/dL. The unit of measure should have been 5.1 ng/mL. This has been corrected online.

Suboptimal levels of serum vitamin D levels have been implied to be associated with cardiovascular diseases and endothelial dysfunction, conditions closely associated with erectile dysfunction (ED). The present systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the vitamin D levels in subjects with ED compared to controls and the 5-item version of the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) score in subjects with vitamin D deficiency compared to those without vitamin D deficiency in order to elucidate the role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of ED...

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety profiles of different phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (PDE5Is) administrations for erectile dysfunction (ED) in diabetic men, including on-demand (PRN) and regular regimens (OAD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Searches were carried out in four electronic databases: PubMed (until April 17th, 2017); Scopus (until April 17th, 2017); Embase (until April 17th, 2017); and Cochrane (until April 18th, 2017). The outcomes for this study are as follows: (1) Global Assessment Question (GAQ) positive response rate; (2) changes from baseline to the end of the study in Erectile Function Domain of International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-EF); and (3) treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs)...

INTRODUCTION: Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) have an excellent efficacy and tolerability profile and remain the first-line choice for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). However, ED is still an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition, and many men prematurely discontinue therapy with conventional dosage formulations despite successful intercourse. AIM: To review the unmet needs and expectations of patients with ED and describe the latest pharmaceutical innovations in the field of PDE5-I formulations designed to address these needs, with particular reference to a new orodispersible film (ODF) formulation of the PDE5-I, sildenafil...